Royal Academy Names First Fraunhofer UK Research Chair

LONDON, Feb. 21, 2014 — The Royal Academy of Engineering has appointed the first Fraunhofer UK research chair at the University of Strathclyde.

Alan Kemp, a professor at the university and team leader at its Institute of Photonics, will work to keep the UK at the forefront of the global race for innovation in photonics. The collaboration between Strathclyde, the Royal Academy and Fraunhofer UK aims to ensure that research will fulfill industrial needs and result in new applications. To this end, Fraunhofer has established the Centre for Applied Photonics (CAP), a research facility at Strathclyde.

In the first chair role, Kemp will also help expand the Advanced Laser Group at the Institute of Photonics and lead activity into novel areas such as the use of diamond in solid-state laser engineering, and the development of compact ultrashort-pulse lasers for biological imaging and other applications.

“[Kemp] is a noted researcher who is performing internationally leading work in solid-state laser engineering,” said Martin Dawson, head of CAP and director of research at the Institute of Photonics. “[This is an] opportunity to maximize the impact of his research for UK industrial benefit.”

Kemp’s appointment is the first research chair funded in the country by Fraunhofer, which is a branch of the biggest applied R&D organization in Europe. It is jointly funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering.